February 10
The beauty of an unexpected change of plans is the wealth of opportunity it brings. As I mentioned previously, we thought that we would be leaving Dania Beach, Florida last week, but the universe had other ideas. But, as luck would have it, we have new friends in the area. YAY!! As we soon as realized we wouldn’t be leaving Harbour Towne Marina when we had planned, I immediately let our new friend Andrea. I briefly mentioned Andrea in my last post. She is the person who has been encouraging me to write about our daily life while living aboard the boat. She and her husband, Myron, are new friends that we met while playing pickleball, a new pastime to get some exercise. Dave and I were at the pickleball court one day when Andrea and Myron came walking. I don’t know how, but we became fast friends. It seemed as though it was almost instantaneous. We played a few games, exchanged phone numbers, and have been playing pickleball together several times a week since. So, when I let Andrea know that we would be in the area for a few extra days her immediate response was, “Great!” and we immediately made plans to get together on Friday, February 10.
Andrea and Myron are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. They not only scheduled some time for pickleball on Friday morning, but they also invited us to dinner at their home. This was followed by a fire on the beach with a group of their friends. I sometimes feel as though I live a charmed life, but stumbling into acceptance by this group of people has really driven that feeling home. The laughs, the stories, the camaraderie; how did we ever get so lucky? So, that was Friday, February 10th. Dave and I met Andrea, Myron, and their nephew Christopher at the pickleball court. We played a lot of games, had a lot of laughs, and marveled at how hard pickleball is to play in a strong wind. We got some good exercise and then parted ways until that evening.
Their condo is about 4 to 5 miles from the marina where we are staying, and because Andrea and Myron are the nicest people on the planet, they drove us to and from their home so that we wouldn’t have to take an Uber. So kind! We had the loveliest dinner with them and some of Andrea’s lifelong friends. We had wonderful conversations and I felt like I couldn’t stop talking. For those of you that know me well, you know how unusual this is. I really don’t think Andrea believes that I am an introvert because this seems to happen whenever I am around them. Dinner was delicious. Andrea is an amazing hostess. And then we headed off to the beach for a fire and sing along. Thanks to Jerry, another pickleball friend, for providing the music. It definitely reminded me of my high school days. Hanging out with great people and good music.
So, some days life feels challenging and frustrating. Plans fall through, things break, dogs get sick, weather is unfavorable, but sometimes life feels beautiful and magical. Yesterday was a day filled with the latter. I will forever be thankful.
